There are four planets circling the HR8799, a star 128 light years away from our own planet.
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Finding microbes in the frigid, dark waters of the lake could help scientists better understand the origins of life on our own planet and the potential environments in which it could arise on other planets.
MSN: Mission to drill into buried Antarctic lake hits a snag
More men have landed on the moon than have reached the deepest part of our own planet and despite the progress I wrote about earlier, we are a still struggling to recognize that this planet and all its wonder should be valued above all else.
To compare alien planets, Dr. Mendez at the Planetary Habitability Laboratory and his colleagues are creating an Earth Similarity Index that ranks worlds by their resemblance to our own planet, on a scale from zero to one, based on their mass, radius, density and surface temperature.
Micro-organisms on Earth are much more common in fresh water than acidic water, and so rather than Mars just having been a potential haven for some extreme forms of life, Curiosity's discovery means that Mars had -- and still preserves evidence of -- environments that were habitable for an enormous variety of micro-organisms that thrive on our own planet.
It was also a step towards a more true understanding of our own home planet.
This dynamic can be seen not just in economic life but in the evolution of all things, from cuisine, urbanization and legal systems to our own existence as a species on this planet.
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The stakes have just been raised a notch: Not only is there another planet right next door in our own solar system that had habitable environments on its surface long ago, but there appear to have been common and recognizable -- perhaps even Earthlike -- environments on Mars.
Should we be so frivolous by our excessive nature, and be trusted to visit, contaminate and perhaps colonise another planet when we seem so incapable of conserving and looking after our own home world?
This awareness of how the products we buy impact not only our own health, but also the health of our families, our communities, and the planet is changing what we expect out of the companies we buy from and the brands we choose.
FORBES: Creating Brands for the Future: One Woman's Quest for Sustainable Brands
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